Although this polish isn’t so summery, I wanted to continue wearing more long-standing untrieds. Chanel Graphite (llusions d’Ombres de Chanel, Fall 2011) is a silvery gunmetal foil with flecks of gold microglitter:

Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well, though I needed three coats for full coverage. The base is not that pigmented, but is loaded with microglitter, which shines through nicely. Any brushstrokes are totally covered up by the microglitter. This has shot straight to the top of my list of favorite metallics. I already love it for being incredibly sparkly, but it’s also a unique chameleon of a polish. Sometimes I look at it and it seems like a cool, dark gunmetal, other times it looks lighter and more silvery, other times it looks warm-toned, with a greenish-gold cast to it. The microglitter also gives this great, foily texture to the finish that you can see even out of bright light. Overall, it’s simply gorgeous, with such interesting depth and dimension. I paired this with MAC Seriously Hip on my toes.

For the weekend that Star Trek: Into Darkness opened, I wanted to pick a polish that had a galactic look it. I ended up picking Chanel Taboo (Revelation de Chanel, Spring 2013), a rich, deep purple shimmer with red and blue shimmer:

Picture taken in weak sunlight. (Please click to see more detail. I wish I had more sunlight for a better picture, but this would definitely be one to see in person anyway). This was highly pigmented and applied so smoothly; it could be a one-coater but I did two out of habit and to get a really, really rich color. I can’t come up with enough superlatives for this polish. It’s absolutely gorgeous and stunningly dimensional. To start, the shade of purple is beautiful; it looks very regal. It has this rich jewel tone, yet it’s deep and looks vampy. The addition of the red and blue shimmer makes it look that much more interesting, and is what gives it that multidimensional, galactic feel. I love how Chanel does this specific type of shimmer. It’s sparkly in a delicate way, and its subtlety just makes it look more complex. I paired this with NARS Purple Rain on my toes.

I liked 2009’s Star Trek, but I was really looking forward to and LOVED Star Trek: Into Darkness, and that has to do with Benedict Cumberbatch. I could go on and on about how brilliant he is as an actor and man (seriously, he’s amazing!) If you aren’t already in love with him, go see Star Trek and you will be (then watch all his other work)! Go on, get yourself Cumberbatched. 😉

Starting with this pre-Christmas mani, I have a slew of reds to try through the end of December. Chanel Malice (Éclats du Soir, Holiday 2012) is a deep, ruby-burgundy shimmer:

Picture taken in weak sunlight. The formula was so smooth and glided on effortlessly in two coats. This is breathtakingly gorgeous! The contrast between the darker red base and the brighter red shimmer is perfect. It’s deep and vampy but not almost-black. It definitely has that lit-from within look, where the color looks brighter in the center and darker around the edges. It also has a subtle metallic glow (the brushstrokes are totally covered up by the shimmer and are imperceptible as long as you paint in straight lines.) I catch myself staring at my nails a lot, especially when the delicate shimmer is illuminated by the light. The name may not be cheerful and holiday-like, but I love it anyway, and I think it’s very fitting for this wickedly sultry color. I paired it with OPI Tease-y Does It on my toes.

I’d like to split this month between dark, vampy colors and postseason blues and greys. Since the MLB regular season isn’t quite over yet, I’m kicking off October with Chanel Vertigo (Les Essentiels de Chanel, Fall 2012), a smoky, dark grey-brown with a subtle bronzey red shimmer:

Picture taken in sunlight. This applied very smoothly and was well-pigmented; I needed two coats for full coverage. Though technically this is a shimmer, it’s very, very subtle, so slight that it’s not even that obvious in bright light. The finish looks so pretty when the sun hits it and lights up that shimmer, but most of the time it will look like a creme. Not that I mind too much, because the base color is gorgeous. It’s such an interesting shade that’s hard to describe or pinpoint. If I wanted to define it in simple terms, I’d call it a taupe, because of the blend of grey and brown tones. However, it’s not quite like any taupe I have in my collection. I love just how dark and smoky it is; it gives a vampy vibe to a color I wouldn’t normally consider vampy. There’s something about this that says “Old Hollywood” to me; maybe I’m being influenced by the name. I paired this with Essie Rock Star Skinny on my toes.

Now that it’s really winter and the holidays are over, I like to use January to try dark, vampy colors. Chanel Black Velvet (Noir et Or, Paris-Shanghai Collection) is a black satin creme:

Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well in two coats. This photo actually shows my second attempt at this mani; my first attempt looked like a horrible, bubbly mess. Although the polish went on smoothly, I noticed quite a bit of bubbling once the polish was dry. Perhaps I made my coats too thick then, but I also think this sort of finish is prone to bubbling. I still experienced some bubbling after doing thinner coats with my second try. While I love the concept of the satin finish, the bubbles make the surface look so bumpy, spoiling the whole look. I definitely wouldn’t recommend picking this (or any other satin polish) for a mani if you have something to do soon after; it will get banged up in some way. I paired this with Lippmann Funky Chunky (I know this is the same color but I had to cross it off my untrieds list somehow) on my toes.

I’ve already worn Khaki Brun, so now I’m trying my other purchase from this collection, and probably the most popular. Chanel Khaki Vert (Les Khakis de Chanel) is a khaki green creme:

Picture taken in natural light. This applied well and was very opaque in two coats. Although it’s a different color than Khaki Brun, it still reminds me exactly of khaki fabric just the same. I would describe it as a fresher shade of khaki, especially compared to the murkiness of Khaki Brun. I can see why most of the excitement surrounded this polish! I paired this with Sephora by OPI Dark Room on my toes.

I love khaki fabrics, so I jumped at the chance to get the shades in polish form (in Chanel polish, no less!) Chanel Khaki Brun (Les Khakis de Chanel) is a murky, brownish khaki creme:

Picture taken in natural light. (It looks more olive in the picture than it does in real life.) This applied very well in two coats, although I barely needed the second. Because it is a khaki, the color still has an olive green tone, but it is definitely browned. I think the color is so spot on! Khaki comes in many shades, but this is definitely one I picture when I think of it. This isn’t a typically pretty color, but I’m so drawn to it. I paired this with Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War on my toes.

Picture taken in sunlight. (The color is actually a little deeper than the photo reflects.) This applied fine; I needed three coats to get it truly opaque. I do like the soft pinks, but it’s this kind of deep pink that I like even more with my skintone. It isn’t one of those super-bright hot pinks, but it is quite bold. I know it’s not very unique, but I couldn’t resist a polish whose name evokes visions of this:

I took this view of the French Riviera in Nice. To be honest, I would expect a color named after the Côte d’Azur to be blue, but this works too. 🙂 I paired this with Color Club Factory Girl on my toes.

Nouvelle Vague was the most sought-after from this collection, but I also got the other two and I’ll be trying them this weekend. Chanel Mistral (Les Pop-Up De Chanel, Summer 2010) is a soft bubblegum pink sprinkled with very subtle shimmer:

Picture taken in sunlight. (The shimmer is not so apparent in the picture, but it’s definitely more so in real life.) This applied fine; it was a little streaky but not too hard to work with. I needed three coats to cover up bald spots. The shimmer is barely noticeable but is incredibly pretty when the light hits it. There’s gold shimmer and also blue shimmer, which is a unique touch. That, combined with the color, makes for a delicate, sweet-looking polish. I’m assuming the name refers to the mistral, which I learned is a regional wind in France. 🙂 I paired this with Color Club Edie on my toes.

I promised Jules I would be wearing this previously untried polish on my birthday…so yay, I finally used it! Chanel Jade (Jade Nail, Fall 2009) is a light jade with subtle shimmer:

Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well, although I needed three coats for full opacity. I love this!! The soft color, combined with the subtle sparkle of the finish, makes for an incredibly pretty polish. I know Jade came out first, but the overall effect immediately makes me think of Nouvelle Vague. I paired this with Color Club Jackie Oh! on my toes.